308:. In 1138, he joined in the revolt against Stephen and garrisoned the castle against the king. After resisting the attacks of the royal army for a month, he fled with his family in August 1138, leaving the castle to be defended by his uncle, Ernulf de Hesdin. When the town fell, Stephen acted in anger, hanging Ernulf and 93 others immediately, frightening the local people and magnates into transferring their allegiance to him.
701:
371:
important land grants in
Shropshire and Sussex, which were reciprocated by other magnates in the region. Haughmond received lands from the Empress, confirmed by Stephen and Henry II. William continued to make benefactions to it when he returned from exile, including the wealthy portionary church of
370:
or a small religious community at
Haughmond even in his father's time, and a small church from this earlier period has been revealed by excavations on the site, so it is not clear that William was the founder of the abbey. However, it was he who set it on a secure financial basis, with a series of
342:, a turbulent Marcher lord who had been a key supporter of Stephen, and recaptured the castles at Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth, William FitzAlan was the chief beneficiary. At Bridgnorth 'the king restored his lands' and William there received the
468:
The FitzAlans remained important
Marcher lords and magnates in central England for several centuries. A strategic marriage with their Sussex neighbours, the d'Aubigny family, brought the FitzAlans the rich and important
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and was an early benefactor of
Haughmond Abbey. Clun was to pass to the FitzAlans on the death of Helias, but he outlived William, so it passed to his son, the second William. Isabel brought prestige as well as land.
481:
The taking of
Shrewsbury in 1138 by King Stephen, including the escape of William FitzAlan and the hanging of the supporters who did not escape, was the historical background for the novel
220:
from around the beginning of Henry's reign and more as he proved his worth. Much of the
Shropshire land was taken from the holdings of Rainald de Bailleul, ancestor of the
315:
to power in place of
Stephen in 1153–4. He was a close supporter of the Angevin cause, accompanying the Empress or her son on numerous occasions. He was present with
473:. This they held from 1243 until 1580. It was as earls of Arundel that William FitzAlan's descendants made their most important mark on the history of England.
331:, at Leicester. It was during this period that his younger brother, Walter, used the family's royal connections to make a new career in Scotland under
434:
97:
391:. It was, however, Haughmond that became the FitzAlan shrine, with all heads of the family after William buried there for a century and a half.
209:
640:
Angold, M J; Baugh, G C; Chibnall, Marjorie M; Cox, D C; Price, D T W; Tomlinson, Margaret; Trinder, B S. Gaydon, A T; Pugh, R B (eds.).
614:
Angold, M J; Baugh, G C; Chibnall, Marjorie M; Cox, D C; Price, D T W; Tomlinson, Margaret; Trinder, B S. Gaydon, A T; Pugh, R B (eds.).
424:
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407:, noted in the Haughmond Abbey history ("After William FitzAlan (I), who left his body for burial in Shrewsbury Abbey").
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His wife
Christiana died before William regained his ancestral estates in 1155. Henry II therefore gave him the hand of
323:. He remained in attendance on her at Devizes, witnessing the charter addressed to himself by which she grants Aston to
338:
William's active support did not end with Henry's accession to the throne. In July 1155, when the king marched against
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208:(1100-1135), who was determined to insert reliable supporters into strategically key areas after the disloyalty of
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William was deprived of his lands and titles and spent the next fifteen years in exile, until the accession of
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Christiana, their daughter married Hugh
Pantulf, 4th Baron of Wem, a later High Sheriff of Shropshire.
375:, declaring his intention to increase the number of priests there too. He also made grants to nearby
809:
789:
525:; Cox, D C; Price, D T W; Tomlinson, Margaret; Trinder, B S (1973). Gaydon, A T; Pugh, R B (eds.).
427:, who was a principal supporter of the Empress. She was the mother of his heir and other children.
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William succeeded his father around 1114, probably still aged under 10. He was appointed the
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It was probably between 1130 and 1138 that FitzAlan made the first recorded grant to
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212:, who had a strong support network in the Marches. Alan received extensive fiefs in
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A General and
Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerages of England, Ireland, and Scotland
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cause before regaining his lands and former status. William's younger brother,
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of his tenants. Thus he regained his paternal fief. He was also restored as
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269:, Avelina's brother, also called Ernulf, inherited his lands and titles.
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and only loosely attached to France. Ernulf built up large holdings in
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491:. Agents of FitzAlan are characters in a few of the later novels in
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at Oxford in the summer of 1141, and shortly after at the siege of
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
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William was born around 1085. He was the eldest son and heir of
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642:"Houses of Augustinian canons: Priory of Wombridge Shropshire"
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327:. In June 1153 he was present with Henry FitzEmpress, then
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1160. He was buried at Shrewsbury Abbey, according to
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and a short distance south-west of the great abbey of
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An Old Family: Or, The Setons of Scotland and America
665:
423:, an illegitimate son of Henry I, and thus cousin to
616:"Houses of Augustinian canons: Abbey of Lilleshall"
366:, near Shrewsbury. It is possible that there was a
350:in 1155, holding the post until his death in 1160.
527:"Houses of Augustinian canons: Abbey of Haughmond"
289:. His first notable appearance is as a witness to
766:
98:William Fitz Alan, 1st Lord of Oswestry and Clun
760:. Vol. 19. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
433:William's eldest son and heir was also called
563:. London: Harding and Lepard. pp. 77–79.
559:Owen, Hugh; Blakeway, John Brickdale (1828).
183:
101:Christiana m. Hugh Pantulf, 4th Baron of Wem
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425:William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester
300:As Sheriff of the county, William was also
168:and underwent considerable hardship in the
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670:. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
210:Robert of Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury
85:Christiana (until her death, before 1155)
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176:(d. 1177), became ancestor of the royal
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580:. London: Colburn and Bentley. p.
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140:ancestry. He was a major landowner, a
690:
646:A History of the County of Shropshire
620:A History of the County of Shropshire
531:A History of the County of Shropshire
224:, as was land around Peppering, near
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362:: a fishery at Preston Boats on the
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13:
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14:
831:
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383:house. Though not the founder of
820:English people of Breton descent
757:Dictionary of National Biography
699:
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595:Eyton, R W. "Haughmond Abbey".
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666:Brown, Reginald Allen (1989).
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456:. She was the sole heiress of
421:Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester
136:(1085–1160) was a nobleman of
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795:High sheriffs of Shropshire
460:, who held the lordship of
335:, an uncle of the Empress.
204:. Alan was a close ally of
196:, close to the border with
148:, where he was the Lord of
10:
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348:High Sheriff of Shropshire
279:High Sheriff of Shropshire
253:, which was a fief of the
33:High Sheriff of Shropshire
751:"Fitzalan, William"
697:. Brentano's. p. 14.
561:"A History of Shrewsbury"
521:Angold, M J; Baugh, G C;
415:William's first wife was
265:. After his death in the
245:), a crusader baron from
184:Background and early life
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419:. She was the niece of
144:with large holdings in
785:Anglo-Normans in Wales
691:Seton, Robert (1899).
597:Archaeological Journal
494:The Cadfael Chronicles
160:. He took the side of
800:People of The Anarchy
720:"One Corpse Too Many"
285:, the second wife of
241:(also transcribed as
231:William's mother was
668:Castles From The Air
574:Burke, John (1831).
523:Chibnall, Marjorie M
399:William died around
127:English Marcher Lord
16:English Marcher lord
484:One Corpse Too Many
411:Family and heritage
333:David I of Scotland
471:Earldom of Arundel
283:Adeliza of Louvain
255:County of Flanders
206:Henry I of England
677:978-0-521-32932-3
321:Winchester Castle
306:Shrewsbury Castle
237:. Her father was
234:Avelina de Hesdin
202:Mont Saint-Michel
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166:the Anarchy
769:Categories
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501:References
417:Christiana
379:, another
354:Benefactor
214:Shropshire
146:Shropshire
124:Occupation
651:19 August
625:19 August
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368:hermitage
302:castellan
297:in 1136.
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313:Henry II
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287:Henry I
226:Arundel
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170:Angevin
164:during
154:Norfolk
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55:England
44:England
41:c. 1085
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603:: 287.
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251:Artois
247:Hesdin
243:Arnulf
158:Sussex
138:Breton
116:Mother
106:Father
60:Buried
405:Eyton
94:Issue
728:2014
672:ISBN
653:2015
627:2015
539:2015
462:Clun
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